Meghalaya court remands Sonam & Raj in 13 days' judicial custody

Shillong: The district and sessions court here remanded Sonam Raghuvanshi and her ‘lover' Raj Kushwaha in judicial custody for 13 days on the completion of the their extended police custody on Saturday.

Sonam was the prime accused in the murder of her husband, Raja Raghuvanshi, in Sohra last month, while Raj, according to police, was the ‘mastermind' behind the crime

"Police didn't ask for any remand, just pleaded for judicial custody. So, after hearing, the court has granted 13 days' judicial custody for both the accused," public prosecutor Tushar Chanda, who is representing the state in the case, said. No ‘legal aid' from the defence side was present in the court on Saturday, he added.

Sonam and Raja, both Indore residents, were on a ‘honeymoon' trip to Sohra, where her businessman husband was killed and thrown into a deep gorge on May 23. It was done under the ‘signal' and direction of Sonam by Raj's friends Akash Rajput, Vishal Singh Chauhan and Anand Kurmi — all from Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh — who were hired contract killers, who have confessed to the crime, according to police interrogation.